Thursday, February 3, 2011

I just can't get enough of this look for the (not so) Jolly Green Giant! This was probably the Hulk's best moment in recent years and all that recent stuff about the Red Hulk and the Fall of the Hulks kinda sets the Hulk character back a couple of years, as if he'd had this whole interplanetary episode and then forgot about it.

How could he? He should be way MORE dangerous than before because of the whole Planet Hulk experience. Thinking about it just makes me mad. And when I'm mad, I get angry...And when I'm I angry I..I..WWWRRRREEEAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHH!!!!! HULK SMAAAAAAAAAASSSSSH!!!!

Oh, er, sorry. Where were we? Oh yes, the review. I'm glad they gave this Hulk a 3.75" version. The King Hulk 6" Marvel Legends version is awesome, as is the Face Off release. So why shouldn't this one be?

Like: Weapons and accessories. Marvel Universe figures seldom come with much else other than figure stand and perhaps one other accessory--either a shield or a blast effect--most of the time it's because it's an item that defines the character. There's Thor's hammer, Cap's shield, Thunderball's...uh..ball... These are things that these guys gotta have. World War Hulk here doesn't necessarily need his weapons, at least not both of them and a shield, but he gets them anyway. Yay for us! :)

Like: The excellent ensemble of parts that make the main sculpt, his loincloth, harness, and weapons. All these are brand new pieces, with detail that puts the 6" version to shame. The weapons and shield have nicks and cuts and all sorts of battle wear, the leathers and loincloth have tooling to bring out their texture, while his armor and skin also bear the same combat wear. Simply a marvel to behold.

Also, World War Hulk's chest and torso is much less broad compared to previous Marvel Universe releases, while his arms are not as huge and ape-like. This is excellent and true to the comic art, in which Hulk has less bestial and more human proportions.

Like: The brilliant wash over most of the figure. There's a rust brown wash on his armored parts: just enough for wear, and his face and skin have also been given dark shading to bring out the muscles and leathery texture. His leathers and other brown areas are the only unwashed parts, but with all the detailed tooling on them, I can hardly hold it against Hasbro. Let's put it this way--WWH has more washed than unwashed parts, and that certainly doesn't mean he's got good hygiene habits.

Like: That his large left shoulder guard is part of his harness instead of his arm. This way, there's a better range of motion for his arm, looks like he's wearing it on his shoulder instead of being part of the arm or the shoulder (thereby restricting its movement). The harness is a separate piece, and therefore adjustable. What works great is that I can move his arm, then set the shoulder guard on it. This makes it easy to look really great.

His shield clips onto the scabbard!

Like: That he has a usable sheathe! It's part of his harness as well, and houses the lengthy blade snugly. The sheathe is also a good place to clip on his shield, which has a clip that fit perfectly on the scabbard as it does his wrist.

Dislike: That he can't hold his weapons properly because his grip is too big! Shocking! This is a big problem. It almost meaningless if you give a figure a ton of stuff that he just can't use/hold onto. Thankfully he only drops his weapons when his hands are turned downwards. But still, he shouldn't drop weapons meant for him at all.

Dislike: Well, sorta. I'm not sure I like his head sculpt. It doesn't have the super large upper lip that's characteristic of the brooding King Hulk. His eyes are a little too big, and his mouth is open? I guess World War Hulk does have his mouth partway open in the comics like that. Combined with the eyes on the figure, it makes him look like he's a deer in the headlights. It's brood or bash, I say, brood or BAAAAAAAASH!!!

Like: The thigh cuts and double-jointed knees! Talk about a marked improvement from the previous Marvel Universe versions! The Green, Gray, Red, and Secret Wars Green all were very stable but also very rigid in terms of waist down articulation. But WWH here has sacrificed very little of that stability and added tons of flexibility. The joints are all nice and tight, but beware of over twisting his ball-jointed legs or they might pop off. But if that ever happens no worries, they pop right back on. ;)

Like: The hinge/ball combo for his head and the swivel at the base of his neck! When I busted him out of the package, I was initially disappointed that he could only look down. Then I realized his neck might have been attached backwards. So I swiveled the neck piece 180 degrees and viola! He looks up and down perfectly.

I don't know if this is the case for all the World War Hulk figures, but I think it's a safe bet to say it is. Not to worry, though. It's a really quick fix that doesn't require any tools--just your fingers and some good old-fashioned elbow grease (ie. twisting). ;)

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 9.5/10 - There's no way you can't love this Conanesque look for the Hulk. Throw in excellent tooling on the majority of his parts, and a very comic book accurate and proportionate sculpt, and we have a winner!.

If there's one thing to pick on, it's the face. The look they gave the King Hulk 6" Marvel Legends version was spot on, so perhaps Hasbro didn't want the 3.75" figure to be a miniaturized carbon copy of its larger 6" predecessor and produced this wider-eyed, scowly faced version. Funny the thing with the head is that the more I look at it, the more like it.

There's very little paint on WWH, with only his eyes, circlet, and all silver parts painted. And what they've painted, they've painted well. The armored parts especially deserve mention, because it's done so well that after a wash of darker paint, you can't tell what's painted and what's not.

Poseability: 9.5/10 - World War Hulk might not be able to hold his weapons well, but he has a sheathe! What about them thigh cuts? Simply awesome, baby! Add some nice, tight ball joints at the legs and double hinges at the knees and you've got some amazing leg movement.

World War Hulk may already look great posed by himself, but when posed with others, he's exceptional! You also can't deny WWH's excellent head movement, as well as a great waist swivel and chest pivot combo. There's only two other Marvel Universe figures that share the same combo: Spiderman and Captain America. That all three figures have great poseability is due in no small part to the chest/waist movement!

WWH would receive a perfect score, except for being unable to grip weapons properly at all. Imagine GI Joes who can't hold their guns right. They'd be simply frustrating to play with! As for the upper body, the elbows get a good 90 degree bend, but shoulder his hinges are restricted in the front by his big chest, as is normal with a bulky figure like Hulk.

Fun: 10/10 - Hulks are always fun, as any Hulk fan would tell you. But this Hulk is especially fun because he's got weapons, a shield, a removable harness and a separate belt/loincloth combo. The latter can't be removed without some effort, but unless you're stripping him down for spare parts, that's not going to be a problem at all.

World War Hulk is also good fun because he can (and has) fought everyone. The Illuminati, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Hulkbuster Iron Man, and of course, the Sentry. It would be especially interesting to hunt down all the members of these teams (or wait for them to be made) just so Hulk can beat the pulp outta them all. ;)

Value: 9/10 - There's no shortage of value for money here. WWH has got lots of wash all over, separately tooled pieces (harness, belt & loincloth, right leather wristband), lots of specially tooled parts (gladiator sandal legs and feet, armored left arm and spiked left hand, the new head), and superb torso and leg articulation. On top of all that, he comes with your regular figure stand.

The new figures lack the paper accessories of the ID card and the top secret letter, but if it mean the money form printing those goes into accessories.paint and tooling, then it's well worth it!

Overall - 9.5/10 - Heck, WWH is probably the best Marvel Universe figure released to date--bulkier, with great tooling, great accessories, and articulation comparable to the likes of Captain America and the classic Spidey. And those guys are slimmer too, meaning that a bulky guy like WWH shouldn't be able to move the way they do, except that he can.

Compared to the Marvel Legends King Hulk, WWH has superior paint/wash and sculpt, has better articulation, and has and extra shield and stand. The only thing that holds him back is the nonexistent grip on his weapons. This makes him a way better figure than the 6" version, unless size matters a lot to you. ;)

26 comments:

Hey Ewan, I've been waiting for you to review this one. I don't mind the face, he just looks mad and i like it, yeah it's really shame that he can't hold his weapons. But whatever, I do agree with you that this is the best MU figure so far. Definitely a must have. I'm really hoping for you that you'll get Modular Iron Man (Bleeding Edge Armor) and Ghost Rider and tell us what you think. I've always enjoyed your review, especially with the Jungle Joes and especially Spirit Iron Knife. And talking about Joes, can you do a review of POC wave 3 Desert Battle Snake Eyes - he is too probably the best GIJoe figure released to date. BTW, awesome diorama pics 100/10, :). Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Yeah, the face is not that bad, and it does grow on you. I just wish he were just a litle madder, or a little sulkier. But it's still a good face sculpt.

Ya know, I actually do have Modular Iron MAn lined up for review. Since you asked, I'll have him up in the next few reviews. Hopefully I won;t take too long to get to it. ;) Ghost Rider though, has eluded me so far. I already have a bike for him but alas, no 'Rider! As far as POC wave 3 Snake Eyes goes, I also haven't seen him. But I haven't really been looking either. Lol.

Thanks for the kind comments! 110/10? Too kind, sir! ;P

@geekcreek - You should pick the paperback it up! Or at least when you can--it's a really great arc, away from all the usual Hulk staples of Earth. ;)

Glad to know you enjoyed the photos enough to want to get the figure! :)

And yes, I loved the tv series as well! It was probably the first TV series I ever watched. Lol. Perhaps you could check out the Hulk Marvel Animated movies--Ther's Hulk Vs, and Planet Hulk, which is based on the graphic novel. But hands down the graphic novel is way better. :)

Tremendous photography as always. I actually was forced to right-click-save that pic you created of the Hulk slamming the HMMV on the hapless heroes. Your poses are always so dynamic, I leave for a week or two, come back to see a new review and your photography blows me away all over again. Thanks for that, man.

Lol, rouju. Don't worry! Hasbro has been very consistent at making sure us consumers get the figures we want. Iron Man 2's Hulkbuster, War Machine from the same line, and Juggernaut were all pretty hard to find. But they've re-released and you can find them at retail without too much trouble now. I'll say it's a safe bet WWH will be re-released soon too! :)

Cool review as always bro! I love this figure as well....let alone the fact that I never really caught wind of the storyline. Nevertheless, a cool figure remains a cool figure....and that is enough for 'Barbarian' Hulk here to grace my Marvel Universe display shelf with the rest of his buddies! =)

again your spot on...this figure is incredible and the more i read your reviews the more i want to do my own blog,but I confess that it would be dangerously close to purgury on several figures...this figure made me break my golden rule of one..i try to only keep one representation of each figure (exceptions are when a character has multiple outfits or looks in a movie,ie star wars.but I will only keep one "bespin" luke,despite having 12 other lukes in various stages)comic book characters I try to only keep the current look,but this Hulk was so f'n cool that I had to get it..I despise the marvel universe Hulk and keep my superhero showdown Hulk as my primary version of the Hulk...

Haha, thanks again! I like how you keep check of which characters you buy--I have a much less stringent set of criteria, which means I usually cherry pick and get only the figures I want really bad. This includes most Hulks. Lol.

But there's good news--there'll be an Marvel Universe First Appearance Avengers pack that'll include Hulk in just his purple briefs! I don;t think we've ever had that. And the body they use will be this one. ;)

I'm not a fan of Marvel Universe figures, but I really want this one. If only I could find it in stores. I saw him once, but didn't have cash on me. I went home, grabbed some money, went back and it was gone. I haven't seen him since, and that was either December or January. I wonder if I should just stop looking, or if Hasbro will get more out.

@clark - Now this figure I've seen refreshed in recent cases, so hang in there! Worse comes to worst, if you get tired of waiting/can't find one soon, let me know! I've seen him quite often here recently but usually at ard US$20-22. Expensive, I know. Perhaps that's why he's so available!

@SirDragonBane - Thanks for the offer. Yeah that does sound expensive, I'd much rather find it for $8 in the U.S. It seems he goes for around $10-12 on ebay, so I might go that route. It looks like somebody loaded your images on amazon.

I thought he was a good size. But if you put him next to the older Hulk sculpt he's definitely got a smaller torso and less crazy-long arms. But I think that works in WW Hulks favor--he's more proportionate and way more poseable! Of the two bodies, I prefer this one for sure. :)

Well, what do you know? I walked into Target to today, and there was the new MU series hanging there, including WW Hulk. I bought him and Apocalypse (although I'm not sure I'll keep Apocalypse, I just got him because I figured he wouldn't be there later incase I decided I wanted him). Although the plastic used on this figure is more rubbery than I would have preferred, I really can't find anything to truly complain about. It stinks that he can't hold his weapons securely, but I can live with it.

There are only a two MU figure I have that I like, and they are Juggernaut and Colossus. WW Hulk has just shot up to the top of that list.

I almost spent $21 on marvelstore.com so I could get the Iron Man 2 Mark I movie fig (which you reviewed over on AD) and the WW Hulk figure. Yesterday I found the Mark I for under $3, today WW Hulk, I just have to keep my fingers crossed for Ultimate Iron Man and I'll be set.

Good ol' Hasbro! I love them because they do things like distribution correctly, unlike one other company we all are forced to love and hate. ;)

This is indeed good news, bro! Don't cha "love it when a plan comes together" (Hannibal Smith) and then some?

Indeed, Juggy and Colossus are also great figures. They do the larger than usual ones real well so actually, good call on Apocalypse! Perhaps you could find some one who'll trade you for Ultimate Iron Man...lol. ;)

Oh there was a post from Clark here that we lost due to the Blogger maintenance incident.

Basically he said that the very next day after reading this post, he wanders into his local Target and what does he see? This very figure along with the newest wave. Of course he bought it. Of course he got Apocalypse too, along with a few other figures I can;t rememeber. Of course he got them at retail!

He also said he picked up Apocalpse "just in case" he felt like he wanted it later. The sly devil. ;)

I don't think so. But that's an awesome Idea for a GB 2-pk since they've already released this figure. If they do one though, it would be great if the Hulk had a new head with the Roman helm, perhaps, and a tower shield. Diff weapons would be excellent, too. In fact, I think a Silver Savage should be easy enough to custom up--just have to find the right belt/loin cloth and harness combo, a mace, and some leather straps for the surf board. Hmm... :)

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Welcome to my world where it's all about the hunt, about bagging the prize, the much coveted, the very sought after, chase variant toy!

Ok, ok, so it's not just about rare toys. But it is about toys--how I found them, how I got them, and how I find playing with them such a joy.

I hope you discover only happiness in the toys you find. And happy hunting for those you haven't found.

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The Chase Rating System

10- I'd give an arm and a leg (plastic or otherwise) for this figure9 - I'd take your arm and leg (non-plastic) for this figure8 - It's a keeper!7- A good toy all round, perhaps some minor flaws6 - Above average with obvious flaws5 - Poor toy. Poor you! (If you've got this)4 - Toss it in the custom bin3 - I wouldn't wish this toy on anyone but your worst enemy2- Makes small children cry1- It killed my pet dog